This invention is directed toward drinking cups used in a patient care setting. More specifically, and without limitation, this invention relates to an adjustable drinking cup.
Drinking cups are well known in the art. In the health care field, aspiration, or the inhalation of liquid or material into the lungs, is a major concern, as it can lead to lung infection or what is more commonly referred to as pneumonia. The risk for aspiration increases the greater a patient extends their neck while drinking. The increased risk is the result of permitting the fluid to act under the influence of gravity thereby entering the trachea instead of the esophagus. The risk of aspiration is heightened further in cases involving patients who have recently suffered from a stroke. As such, care givers strive for drinking cups that permit the patient to retain their neck in a neutral position where the chin is not raised, or if possible, a position where the chin is tucked to further prevent aspiration.
Another related issue pertains to patients who cannot cope with quickly flowing fluids that come from the bottom of a cup. In this circumstance, the patient raises their cup to drink the remaining portion of their drink, but the drink travels from the bottom of their cup at a sharp slope to their mouth at a high velocity, and results in aspiration. This is especially problematic when a caregiver attempts to pour the liquid into a patient's mouth.
Yet another issue related to drinking cups concerns patients with limited range of arm motion. These patients encounter issues consuming all of the liquids they are provided as part of their diets. This is caused by an inability to sufficiently raise their cup to empty the contents into their mouths. As a result, these patients go without sufficient hydration or must repeatedly refill their cups, which ultimately leads to waste as a portion of their drink is never consumed.
Given these problems in the field, a number of advancements have been made. One such advancement is what is referred to as the nosey cup. The nosey cup has a portion of the cup cut out in order to accommodate the tip and bridge of the patient's nose. In other iterations based on the same concept, the top of the cup slopes downward so that one side of the cup is substantially lower than the other. By making room for the patient's nose, the cup can be raised further up thereby allowing more liquid to be poured into the patient's mouth without the patient having to extend their neck backwards risking aspiration.
This design, however, has its deficiencies. The primary deficiency is it appears different from other cups, which causes a loss of dignity for the patient. Retaining a patient's dignity is an utmost concern for health care providers, hospitals, state health administrations, as well as the patients and, therefore, a tremendous amount of emphasis and commercial value is placed on designs that retain a patient's dignity.
Another deficiency to this advancement is its failure to address patients with limited arm mobility. If a patient has suffered a bone or muscle injury that limits their range of motion, they will not be able to raise the nosey cup the extra distance provided by the space cut away for their nose.
One other solution to this problem is the use of straws. By inserting a straw into a cup, the patient can use suction to draw the liquid into their mouth without extending their neck. This is also useful for patients with limited mobility as the straw can extend to their mouth.
This design also suffers from deficiencies. In particular, a straw can be difficult to manipulate and get to a patient's mouth; especially if the patient has limited mobility or has suffered from a stroke. In attempting to manipulate the location of the straw and get it into their mouth, a great amount of dignity can be lost for a patient.
Straws in general also pose the problem of a patient accidentally drawing too much liquid too quickly into their mouth, which can lead to choking or aspiration. Also, straws have a narrow tubular design making them difficult to clean, which results in increased disposal which causes increased costs and waste.
To address this particular deficiency, sippy cups have been developed. These cups have lids that have a nozzle that is pointed in a single directed for the patient to use. Some sippy cups also have limited amounts of liquid that can be drawn up at a time to prevent choking and aspiration hazards.
As with the other advancements, these designs also have deficiencies. Many of the designs resemble children's cups and therefore severely diminish a patient's dignity. Further, the nozzles are often stubby which prevents patients with limited arm mobility from using the sippy cup unless the nozzle reaches their mouth. Additionally, like straws, sippy cups can also be difficult to clean, especially if there are mechanisms to restrict the amount of fluid that can be withdrawn from the cup.
Another solution is to place handles on the cup. Handles permit the use a greater grip on the cup, which can be beneficial if the patient's hand or arms have been injured, or if the patient has suffered a stroke. Handles can also extend the patient's range of motion.
A handled cup, however, fails to assist with the risk of aspiration as the patient will still extend their neck backwards to consume the contents at the bottom of the cup. Also, the handles in many cases can cause the cups to look odd, which diminishes the patient's dignity.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the specification, there is a need in the art for an adjustable drinking cup.
Thus, it is a primary objective of this invention to provide an adjustable drinking cup that improves upon the art.
Another objective of this invention is to provide an adjustable drinking cup that is inconspicuous and retain patient dignity.
Yet another objective of this invention is to provide an adjustable drinking cup that is easy to use.
Another objective of this invention is to provide an adjustable drinking cup that is easy to clean and reuse.
Yet another objective of this invention is to provide an adjustable drinking cup that reduces the risk of aspiration.
Another objective of this invention is to provide an adjustable drinking cup that improves hydration for patients with limited range of arm mobility.
Yet another objective of this invention is to provide an adjustable drinking cup that is user friendly and has a limited number of parts.
Another objective of this invention is to provide an adjustable drinking cup that maximizes the amount of fluid that can be held in the cup.
These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the specification and claims.